Analyzing DNA changes in blood can improve the ability to predict the risk of developing type 2 diabetes within a decade.
- Current tools for predicting the risk of type 2 diabetes are based on information such as age, sex, BMI and family history of the disease.
- The researchers found that analyzing DNA methylation data alongside these risk factors provided a more accurate prediction.
- Similar approaches could be taken for other common diseases to generate broad health predictors from a single blood or saliva sample.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), in collaboration with scientists from the University of Helsinki (Finland), the German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH) and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), examined the influence of DNA changes in the blood – known as DNA methylation – along with other risk factors in nearly 15,000 people, to predict the likelihood of develop type 2 diabetes years before the first symptoms appear.
The results could lead to the implementation of preventive measures much earlier, thus reducing the economic and health burden caused by the disease. Their work was published on April 6, 2023 in the journal Nature Aging.
DNA methylation better predicts type 2 diabetes risk
Current tools for predicting the risk of type 2 diabetes are based on information such as age, sex, BMI and family history of the disease. The researchers found that analyzing DNA methylation data alongside these risk factors provided a more accurate prediction. Methylation is a chemical process in the body during which a small molecule called a “methyl group” is added to DNA.
The researchers estimated predictions using a model with a hypothetical scenario comprising 10,000 people, where one in three individuals develops type 2 diabetes over a 10-year period. The model that used DNA methylation correctly classified 449 more individuals than traditional risk factors alone. Adding or removing these methyl groups can affect how certain molecules work in the body. These methylation patterns can thus help track aging processes and disease development.
Improved saliva or blood tests to come?
The data came from 14,613 volunteers from the Generation Scotland study, a large study designed to help scientists investigate the causes of disease, understand public health priorities and inform future medical treatments and health policies. health. The team also repeated the analyzes in the 1,451 participants of a Germany-based study to ensure that their results could be replicated in people from different backgrounds.
“Similar approaches could be taken for other common diseases to generate broad predictors of health from a single blood or saliva sample”said the study’s lead researcher, Professor Riccardo Marioni, in a communicated.